Louisville football coach Scott Satterfield said on Monday that he would handle any future job opportunities differently after his informal talks with South Carolina generated a public reaction from the school’s fan base at the end week.
In his first public comments since the situation unfolded, Satterfield apologized to fans and said the only reason he spoke to South Carolina was the proximity to where he grew up and spent most of his playing career and coach.
After the conversation, he quickly realized he wanted to stay in Louisville and said so publicly, but scrutiny of his decision to speak to South Carolina first – after denying interest weeks earlier – sparked protests.
“If something in the future comes up and you want to look at it, you better be very, very serious, and it’s because I don’t want to put our fans, I don’t want to put our players or anyone in what happened in the last 48 hours,” said Satterfield. “I’m not interested in doing that. So if it is something out there that is attractive, it will have to be very, very serious and something that you can express yourself about, and we will start from there. For me, it was a learning process and going through so I don’t want to put anyone in that situation. “
Satterfield, in his second season with the Cards after spending six seasons as head coach of the Appalachian State, was also asked how he could expect full commitment from his players when talking to another team. (South Carolina ended up hiring Oklahoma assistant Shane Beamer for the job.)
His response attracted more attention, because he suggested that players do not have the same responsibilities as coaches.
“As players, it is a little different than the coaches,” he said. “As a player, you’ve been there for three to four years and then it’s over … and as a player you don’t have a family, it’s just you. The coaches have wives and children on the job. Will they be on the job for 40 years? With players, it’s three or four years and they have to be all-in. It’s difficult for a player to go to class, go to meetings, do weight training, practice, come back and study, then go to a game day You have to be all-in, and I think as coaches it’s a little bit different; you have a career as a coach. I’ve been in a school for a long time. I prefer it that way. You want to be in a place where you can thrive. and win and have a great life, but there is a small difference between a player and a coach. “